Wing-shaft-operating mechanism for railroad spreaders



Jan. 7, 1930. V- Q TELUS 1,742,328

WING SHAFT OPERATING MECHANSM FOR RAILROAD SPREADERS Filed oct. 14, 1926:s sheets-sheet 1 NNW ,m

Jan. 7, 1930. v v. G. TELLls 1,742,328

WING SHAFT OPERATING MECHANISM FOR RAILROAD SPREADERS Filed 001.14, 192es V4shams-sheet 2 V. G. TELLIS Jan. 7, 1930.

WING SHAFT OPERATINGl MECHANISM FOR RAILROAD SPREADERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Oct. 14. 1 926 Patented Jan. 7. 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT-.OFFICEy LvssvoLoD e. TEDLIS, or EAST oiiicAGo, iNDrANA, AssrGNon rroo. r.JORDAN OOM- y PANY, on nAs'r CHICAGO; iNDIANA, A CORPORATION or INDIANAWING-SHAF'r-OPERATING- IvmcHAn'rsM Fon RAILROAD sPnEADnR-s p Applicationfiled etobe`r14, 1926.` Serial No. 141,488.

This invention relates to improvements in Wing` shaft operatingmechanisms for railroadfspreaders `and it consists of the mattershereinafter described and more particularly pointed outin the appendedclaims.

`In railroad spreaders including sidewings for spreading ballast andlike operations, each side wing is connected at one endby means of anupright pivot pin to a suitable sliding block arrangement :in anassociated side post or column. The wing is` swung away from and towardthecar, about said pin as an axis by `foldingbars connected at one endto the `wing and at the other' end to `arms on `a longitudinallyextending shaft journalled on the assop :ciated side of the car. Thenecessary rotative rocking movement ofthe shaft washeretofore imparted`to said shaft by iiuid pressurecylinders disposed beneath the car deckand extendingtransversely thereof, the piston rodofthe cylinder beingconnected to the beginning and end of 'an arm on each shaft.v "In such aconstruction theleverage` of said arm changed in proportion `to thechange in the "angular position of thearm on the shaft so that thegreatest load was imparted to the operating cylinder at its powerstroke,

"thus a great dealof power was absorbed atlthe outsetofoperation, whichas is apparent Ais `not a desirable condition. `Again Withothe powercylinders arranged transversely of and on the under side `of: the cardeck orframe, they did not readily lend themselves to a ready inspectionorrepair and did not permit ofthe best arrangement of parts `ofstandardapparatus on such `al car of the spreader.:

The primaryyobject of the present invention is toimprove the means bywhich the wing shaft is turned or rocked and to so dispose the operating'cylinders therefor that `theymaybeiarranged vertically on the top ofthecar deck," where `they may be readily inspected and at lthesame` timeprovidey for a better distribution and the balance of the associatedparts. y

. `A further obj ect of the invention is to simplify the construction ofthe associated parts and reducethe number thereof to a minimum wherebythe cost of production is proportionately reduced and the eiiciencythereof is materially increased.

These-objects of the invention, aswell as others together with the manyadvantages thereof will more fully appear as I proceed with myspecification.

In thedrawingsa-` Fig. 1 is a `vievvin top plan elevation of a railroadspreader embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the spreader, onan enlarged scale as taken on the line 2---2` of Fig. 1.

A Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View in side elevation of parts shown 'at theright hand side of Fig. 2. l

Fig. 4 is a. detail vertical sectional view on a further enlarged scale,as taken on the line 4l-1 of Fig. 3. l

Referring now in detail to that `embodiment of the invention illustratedin the accompanying drawings z-1 indicates as a whole the car of arailroad spreader having the usual wheels 2to travel upon the rails 3M?)of a railroad track. The car includes a deck 4 with a wide platform 5`at the front end and a similar platform 5a at the rear end; the deckitself being narrower than said `platforms to form cut in sides of thecar.

`9 in each of which a wing carriage 10 is capable of a guided verticaladjustable movement. 11 indicates the main side wing of the spreaderwhichis pivoted at its inner or front end to the wing carriage by meansof a vertical axis pin 12 so that said Wing may be swung from a positionparallel with the sills as shown at thetop of Fig` 1, intola position atan angle to said sills as shown at the bottom of said figure. As theparts associated with each spreader wing on each side of the car are thesame, .a description of the parts associated with one wing will suHicefor both,

like parts on both sides of the car bearing like reference numerals.

Dependin from each side sill 7, forward of the rear pIatform 5n is aplurality of longitudinally spaced end and intermediate bearing brackets13 and 14, respectively. The end brackets each include a pair of spacedbearing ears 13a-d3UL while the intermediate bracket includes a singlebearing sleeve 14a. Jour-nailed in said ears and sleeve is alongitudinally extending tubular shaft 15 and fixed to the shaft betweenthe ears of each bracket 13 are castings each of which includes a socket16 extending at less than a right angle to said shaft.l Operativelyconnecting each socket casting with spaced points on the rear side ofthe main spreader wing are folding brace bars 17-17 each including innerand outer brace arms 18 and 19 respectively, said brace arms beingconnected together by a knuckle 20. The inner ends of the brace arms 18extend into and are pivoted within the sockets 16 by pins 21 arranged ata right angle to the associated shaft 15. The outer ends of the bracearms 19 are iconnected to the wing by brackets and pins 22 as best shownin Fig. 1. This last mentioned connection as well as the socketconnectionbefore described permits the brace arms to fold at theknuckles so that the wing may be swung from one position to the other asdesired.

23indicates as a whole an upright post arranged in substantially theplane of the intermediate bracket 14, there being one of such posts ateach side of the car. Said post comprises a pair of longitudinallyspaced u standing angle bars 233--23a which are riveted to theassociated side sill. Connecting the laterally arranged flanges of Atheangle bars Von one side of the car with the like flanges of the anglebars on the other side of the car is a pair of cross channels 24-24,said cross channels resting on and being secured to the side and centersills. The top ends of each pair of angle bars forming each post areconnected together by pairs of short longitudinally arranged channelsupon which engage pairs of short transverse members 26 to form supportsfor bearing ears 27-27. In said ears are journalled the ends of a shortshaft 28 to the middle of which is fixed a sheave or grooved pulley 29.Resting on the top flanges of the cross channels 24-24, to the rear ofVeach post 23 is a .pair of short angle bars 24a. Engaged upon andupstanding from said angle bars are fluid pressure c linders 30 eachhaving a piston 31 therein. aid piston has top and bottom piston rods 32and 33 respectively which extend through suitable stuffing boxes in therespective ends or heads ofthe cylinder. To the top piston rod 32 isconnected one end of a cable section 34 which passes over the sheave 29and to the bottom piston rod is connected a second cable section 35which is wound or lapped more than a single turn around a grooved sheaveor pulley 36 fixed to an associated shaft 15, in the plane of the pulley29. The cable sections 34-35 are connected together by a turn-buckle 37whereby they may be maintained taut. The cable section 35 is securelyattached to the sheave 36 at one point in its length by clamps 38arranged in the peripheral part of the sheave and having clampino` nuts39 arranged in suitable openings in tIie web of the sheave. Thecylinders 30--30 are not only secured to the angle bars of therespective posts but are connected to each other in any suitable mannerand are operatively connected to a source of fluid under pressure by theusual pipe and hose connection in the manner well known. Preferably suchsource of fluid under pressure is a compressed air tank 40 carried onthe car deck just forward of the posts 23.

In operation, when air is admitted to one end of the cylinder, thepiston moves toward the other end thereof and through the connectedcable sections, one of which is attached to the sheave 36 as beforedescribed, will cause a partial rotation or turn of the associated shaft15 the leverage on said shaft always remaining constant and inaccordance with the air pressure admitted to said cylinder. When pistonis moving upwardly in the cylinder, the respective arms of the wingbrace are project-ed outwardly into alignment to cause the wing to beprojected or swung away from the side of the car and when the piston ismoving downwardly the brace arms are folded and the wing is swung towardthe side of the car as shown at the top of Fig. 1. By the arrangementdescribed, the action of moving the wing is positive when it is desiredto swing the wing in either direction. Should the cable stretch in use,the slack may be taken up by the turn buckle.

While in describing my invention I have referred in detail to variousforms and arrangements of the parts thereof, I do not wish to be limitedthereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a railroad spreader, a car, a wingswingably attached to the car, means for operating said wing, said meansincluding a shaft, a folding brace bar operatively connecting said shaftand wing, a fluid pressure cylinder having a piston and oppositelydisposed piston rods, a sheave fixed on said shaft, a second sheavespaced from said first sheave and a flexible member passing around saidsheaves and fixed to said oppositely disposed piston rods, said flexiblemember also being attached to said sheave onl the shaft.

2. In a railroad spreader, a car, a wing swingably attached to said car,means for operating said wing, said means including a shaft, a foldingbrace bar operatively connecting said shaft and wing, a fluid pressure fifraaaar.:V

y cylinder having a piston and oppositely disposed piston rods, a sheavefixed on said shaft,

` a flexible member passing around said sheaves including a car body,

Journalled on the car body, folding brace `bars operatively connectingsaid shaft and wing, an upright post on said car body, a sheavejournalled in the top end of said post, a second sheave fixed to saidshaft in the plane ofthe first mentioned sheave, an upright cylinder onthe car body to the rear of the post,

` a piston and oppositely disposed piston rods in said cylinder and avflexible member attached at its ends to said piston rods and passingabout said sheaves and attached at one point in its length to the sheaveon said i "6. In a railroad spreader, a car, swingably attached to thecar, means 4. A railroad spreader embodying therein i a car, a wingswingably attached to the car,

a wing swinging brace extending between the wing and the car, an endlessdevice carried by the car, means for positively moving said endlessdevice in opposite directions, and means operatively connecting saidendless device to said wing swinging brace as and for the purposespecified. y

5y; In a railroad spreader, a car, a wing swingably attached to the car,means for operating said wing, said means including a folding bracebarextending between the wing and the car,` an endless device. means foroperating said endless device and means operatively connecting saidfolding brace with said l endless device whereby movement thereof 45causes swinging movement of said wing.

a wing for operating said wing,

and the car, a vertically positioned endless de` vice, means foroperating saidl device, and

means adj aeent the `lower end thereof for operatively connecting it tosaid folding brace whereby movement of said endless member causesswinging movement of said wing.

7. In a railroad spreader, a car, a wing swingably attached to the car,means for operating said wing, said means including a folding brace barextending between the wing and the car, a vertically positioned endlessdevice, means constituting an integral part of said endless member foroperating it, and means adjacent the lower end thereof for operativelyconnecting itto said folding brace said means including a y foldingbrace bar extending between the wing 50 whereby movement of said endlessmember causes swinging movement of said wing.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 8th day ofOctober, 1926.

y VSEVOLGD G. TELLIS.

